Music game with strike sounds changing in quality in the progress of music and entertainment music system

• US 20050096132A1
• Filed: 09/22/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SSD Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SSD Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ueshima, Hiromu, Ohashi, Masaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,682,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/218 using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1056 involving pressure sensitive buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games

Abstract

Indication objects are displayed on a television monitor at the intervals in agreement with the rhythm of music, such that the player can generate musical tones in synchronization with music by striking the strike surface of a music game console in the appropriate timing as indicated by indication objects. In this case, the tone quality of the strike sound changes in the progress of music on the basis of strike sound indicating information.

Claims

1. A music game console comprising:

a strike surface to be struck by a player;

at least one detection circuit that detects a striking strength and outputs strike information indicative of the striking strength; and

a processor which is operative to;

acquiring sequentially musical note information items from first data containing said musical note information items arranged in a time series, and performing music automatically;

acquiring sequentially codes assigned to indication object images, each of which indicates a timing of striking to said player, from second data containing said codes which are arranged in a time series, and displaying on a display device said indication object images corresponding to said acquired codes;

acquiring sequentially codes, each of which designates a tone quality of a sound to be output in response to a trigger corresponding to said strike information, from third data containing said codes which are arranged in a time series, and generating the sound of said tone quality designated by each of said codes in response to said trigger;

indicating a reaction responsive to said strike information with a response object image; and

indicating a reaction of said indication object image when the reaction of said response object image is indicated during the time that said indication object image is located within a predetermined range in relation to a predetermined reference position.

2. The music game console as claimed in claim 1 wherein the display of the indication object image is determined corresponding to a desired striking criterion.

3. The music game console as claimed in claim 2 wherein the striking criterion is related to at least one of the striking strength and a number of repeating strikes.

4. The music game console as claimed in claim 1 wherein said code of said third data is indicative of both the tone quality and a sound volume.

5. The music game console as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one detection circuit includes a plurality of detection circuits, said music game console further comprises;

a plurality of vibration transmission plates that correspond respectively to said detection circuits;

a plurality of resilient members that correspond respectively to said vibration transmission plates; and

a support structure that supports said vibration transmission plates, wherein

each of said vibration transmission plates is supported by said support structure through the corresponding resilient members, wherein

said support structure is fixed inside of a housing such that said vibration transmission plates are located to face a rear surface of said strike surface, wherein

said detection circuits are located to face said support structure, each of said detection circuits being attached to a corresponding one of said vibration transmission plates, and wherein

each of said vibration transmission plates is supported by said support structure so as not to contact adjacent ones of said vibration transmission plates.

6. The music game console as claimed in claim 1 wherein said display device is a television monitor.

7. The music game console as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second data and said third data are prepared as data in conformity with a MIDI standard or prepared by processing data which is in conformity with a MIDI standard.

8. The music game console as claimed in claim 1, said processor comprises a graphics processor operable to generate said indication object image and said response object image, wherein said graphics processor receives storage location information of image data for generating said indication object image and storage location information of image data for generating said response object image every time a video system synchronous interrupt occurs, and reads said image data stored in storage locations designated by said storage location information to generate said indication object image and said response object image.

9. A music game system comprising:

a television monitor; and

a music game console which comprises;

a strike surface to be struck by a player;

at least one detection circuit that detects a striking strength and outputs strike information indicative of the striking strength; and

a processor which is operative to;

acquiring sequentially musical note information items from first data containing said musical note information items arranged in a time series, and performing music automatically;

acquiring sequentially codes assigned to indication object images, each of which indicates a timing of striking to said player, from second data containing said codes which are arranged in a time series, and displaying on said television monitor said indication object images corresponding to said acquired codes;

acquiring sequentially codes, each of which designates a tone quality of a sound to be output in response to a trigger corresponding to said strike information, from third data containing said codes which are arranged in a time series, and generating the sound of said tone quality designated by each of said codes in response to said trigger;

indicating a reaction responsive to said strike information with a response object image; and

indicating a reaction of said indication object image when the reaction of said response object image is indicated during the time that said indication object image is located within a predetermined range in relation to a predetermined reference position, wherein

said television monitor operable to display said response object image and said indication object image, and wherein

said television monitor and said music game console are separate each other.

10. A music game system comprising:

a display device; and

a music game console which comprises;

a strike surface to be struck by a player;

at least one detection circuit that detects a striking strength and outputs strike information indicative of the striking strength; and

a processor which is operative to;

acquiring sequentially musical note information items from first data containing said musical note information items arranged in a time series, and performing music automatically;

acquiring sequentially codes assigned to indication object images, each of which indicates a timing of striking to said player, from second data containing said codes which are arranged in a time series, and displaying on said display device said indication object images corresponding to said acquired codes;

acquiring sequentially codes, each of which designates a tone quality of a sound to be output in response to a trigger corresponding to said strike information, from third data containing said codes which are arranged in a time series, and generating the sound of said tone quality designated by each of said codes in response to said trigger;

indicating a reaction responsive to said strike information with a response object image; and

indicating a reaction of said indication object image when the reaction of said response object image is indicated during the time that said indication object image is located within a predetermined range in relation to a predetermined reference position, wherein

said display device operable to display said response object image and said indication object image, and wherein

said display device and said music game console are provided integrally with each other.

11. A percussion game system for playing a game with music comprising:

a strike surface that receives strikes by a player;

a sensor placed to receive the vibration of said strike surface, and operable to detect said strikes exerted on said strike surface by the player and output strike signals indicative of said strikes; and

a signal processing unit connected to a memory unit operable to store audio data and image data, a speaker and a display device, and operable to display an image based on said image data and output music based on said audio data, wherein

said signal processing unit coupled to said sensor and operable to output sounds of different tone qualities as a musical part accompanying the music through said speaker in response to said strike signals from said sensor.

12. An entertainment music system for enjoying music comprising

a signal processing unit connected to a memory unit operable to store music data and image data, a speaker and a display device, and operable to output music through said speaker with reference to said music data and display an image on said display device, and

an input device which an user of the entertainment music system can manipulate to input manipulation signals to said signal processing unit, wherein

said signal processing unit is operable to read data corresponding to the user'"'"'s part from said music data and output sounds in response to said manipulation signals with reference to said data corresponding to the user'"'"'s part, and

said image displayed on said display device is an interactive image providing an indication of a timing of the manipulation to the user.

13. The entertainment music system as claimed in claim 12 wherein said music data is prepared as data in conformity with a MIDI standard or prepared by processing data which is in conformity with a MIDI standard.